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Post by Claire on May 3, 2014 16:46:28 GMT 1
Hi all, decided to have Monica Edwards as this month's featured author as we have talked about her quite a lot but never in one single thread.
As usual what are your fav books and characters? Do you prefer the Romney Marsh or the Punchbowl Farm series. What do you think of the books which have less pony content in them - do you still enjoy them?
Also if you have any questions about the books, author or author's family I may be able to set up a question and answer session with John Allsup who is the creator of the Monica Edwards website and an expert on her and her books, and just happens to be a friend of mine.
Any suggestions for the reading circle book - I would tentatively suggest Cargo of Horses as it is one of the more horsy ones. But if people aren't bothered by the horse content there are plenty of others which have good scope for discussion. I should be able to provide copies of most of the books to anyone who needs them.
EDIT - have added poll. As well as voting for particular books can you also use 1 vote to say if you prefer the Romney Marsh or Punchbowl series (or if you dont have a preferance), I'd be interested to see if Romney Marsh is the fav as seems to be consensus of opinion.
PLEASE NOTE - There is a typo in the poll. Operation Nightbird should be Operation SEABIRD ! Sorry folks.
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Post by kunuma on May 4, 2014 18:35:24 GMT 1
Hard to pick favourite books, it changes according to what mood I'm in! Punchbowl Farm series DEF my favourite because it was/is my idea of a dream home.
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Post by Charlotte on May 4, 2014 22:12:52 GMT 1
Not neccessarily a dream home in the books, the farm has no electricity until the Wild One!
I've always preferred the Romney Marsh ones. A Wind is Blowing is different from all the others. Black Hunting Wnip is another favourite perhaps, though I've not read it since childhood.
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Post by Claire on May 4, 2014 22:51:41 GMT 1
Not neccessarily a dream home in the books, the farm has no electricity until the Wild One! I doubt that would bother kunuma lol. I prefer the Romney Marsh series as whole as I find the stories and situations more wide-ranging. Even tho I like farm stories the farm side of things tends to take over a lot in the Punchbowl Series. I also think there are more interesting characters in the Romney M books such as Old Jim and Co. Plus I like the sea and boats as well as ponies. That said, my all time favourite of all the books is a Punchbowl Farm one - The Wild One, and I also love Spirit of PBF and Black Hunting Whip. Forgot to say (and I've no doubt mentioned this on another thread) that my least fav of all the characters is Dion. He comes across as very self-centred and obsessional in his farming ambitions and the other children's lives tend to revolve around him and his plans for the farm. |
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2014 9:34:39 GMT 1
Didn't have enough votes so I'm adding Rennie Goes Riding here andI prefer the Punchbowl Farm series  I'm with you Kunuma, let's find a similar farm and go live in squalor lol! That would be fantastic Claire if you could set up something with John Allsop  I don't have Cargo of Horses so I'll have to get a copy if we do that one. |
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Post by haffyfan on May 5, 2014 10:42:01 GMT 1
We've already established I've only read two but i have the following so nay of them would be okay...but will i have a clue whats going on?
The white riders, Spitit of Punchbowl Farm, The Wanderer, The Outsider, The Nightbird, Punchbowl Midnight, Rennie Goes Riding, Punchbowl Harvest, The Cownappers, Fire In the Punchbowl, Wish for A pony, The Wild One, A Wind is Blowing, Summer Of The Great Secret. I also have whatever she had published in the Collins pony libs too, i just can't be bothered to look, i think No Entry is one?
If anyone has a recommendation for me to start with that might change my opinion too it'd be very welcome...and a reading order/series titles breakdown maybe!
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Post by Charlotte on May 5, 2014 11:25:30 GMT 1
If you hav'nt read the Nightbird it's said to be especially good. I hav'nt got it. Otherwise you can start with any of them really, it presumably does'nt matter? It would be great Claire, if you could arrange something with John Allsop |
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Post by kunuma on May 5, 2014 14:43:13 GMT 1
We've already established I've only read two but i have the following so nay of them would be okay...but will i have a clue whats going on? The white riders, Spitit of Punchbowl Farm, The Wanderer, The Outsider, The Nightbird, Punchbowl Midnight, Rennie Goes Riding, Punchbowl Harvest, The Cownappers, Fire In the Punchbowl, Wish for A pony, The Wild One, A Wind is Blowing, Summer Of The Great Secret. I also have whatever she had published in the Collins pony libs too, i just can't be bothered to look, i think No Entry is one? If anyone has a recommendation for me to start with that might change my opinion too it'd be very welcome...and a reading order/series titles breakdown maybe! - why didn't we tell her she would hate them and she should give the books away(to fellow pmbls of course!) |
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Post by kunuma on May 5, 2014 14:48:41 GMT 1
Not neccessarily a dream home in the books, the farm has no electricity until the Wild One! I doubt that would bother kunuma lol. I prefer the Romney Marsh series as whole as I find the stories and situations more wide-ranging. Even tho I like farm stories the farm side of things tends to take over a lot in the Punchbowl Series. I also think there are more interesting characters in the Romney M books such as Old Jim and Co. Plus I like the sea and boats as well as ponies. That said, my all time favourite of all the books is a Punchbowl Farm one - The Wild One, and I also love Spirit of PBF and Black Hunting Whip. Forgot to say (and I've no doubt mentioned this on another thread) that my least fav of all the characters is Dion. He comes across as very self-centred and obsessional in his farming ambitions and the other children's lives tend to revolve around him and his plans for the farm. Yes I've lived in a couple of properties with no mains electric - absolute BLISS! No rip off electric bills! I would chose one without mains water or electric by choice. My current horrible house has mains water and that's the first time I've ever had mains water - I didn't even know there was such things as Water Bills!! I do now!  It's got so called mains drainage too, and the drains obviously haven't worked for years - just runs down the garden path! Yes - agree about Dion, I'd probably have murdered him, especially when he started shooting things! |
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Post by Claire on May 5, 2014 23:04:46 GMT 1
I'm with kunuma in the huge bold letters. Haffy doesn't like ME much and she has half the books including some of the rare ones! I have The Wild One (pb copy only as I sadly had to sell the 1st editions) and it is a brilliant read. The Nightbird - is that the one where they are smuggling with Old Jim and Tamzin's vicar father gets involved with it and they have a fight with the French? Its quite a funny one.
Anyone else read A Wind is Blowing? It is a very dark and unsettling book, not like her others at all, but quite compelling.
I'll try and have a think about what would be a good one to do for reading group - depends on what people would like, a very horsy one, or something not necessarily horsy but quite thought-provoking. Let me know!
Haffy - on my website I have breakdowns on the 2 series in order and what goes on in them. But even tho I am usually a person who is very anal about reading series in order I find these books are about the only ones I can just pick up and read in any order.
Off to email John now and see if he's like to be involved.
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Post by vera on May 6, 2014 8:04:22 GMT 1
Rennie Goes riding may be a good one as it has several underlying themes as well as the ponies.
I was thinking about No Mistaking Corker and how it is kind of the first of the Punchbowl stories but not really part of the series. Did Lindsey ever get the polo pony which was going to be her reward?
I liked Dion in The Fire in the Punchbowl! In the others, he was just there doing a job. If you have a farm , it needs to be farmed!
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Post by Claire on May 6, 2014 13:38:56 GMT 1
I liked Dion in The Fire in the Punchbowl! In the others, he was just there doing a job. If you have a farm , it needs to be farmed! The thing is the farm was HIS idea, the others weren't consulted on the matter. Lindsey in particular was forced to go against her principles many times to fit in with farm practices. I think the parents should have reined Dion in a bit, allowed him to do the farming in a smaller way mainly on his own until he left school and then he could have run it as a proper business and employed people. Mind you the constant tension between Dion's farming and Lindsey's own idea of how animals should be free makes for some excellent stories so I am glad that Dion is there as a character - just don't like him. |
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Post by Charlotte on May 6, 2014 16:10:21 GMT 1
As I indicated above, have read A Wind is Blowing.
I've got 14 of the books, mainly original hardbacks.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 18:31:50 GMT 1
I don't mind which one we do |
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Post by haffyfan on May 6, 2014 20:07:44 GMT 1
haha i have no idea which are rare apart from the two Kunuma mentioned, sorry to disappoint you too kunuma but i only have the new girls gone by editions of those (investment buys!) the rest are tatty (seriously falling apart) pb's or pony libs.
Thanks for the info Claire, looks like i'm only missing one of the Punchbowl farm books so that could be a starting place. I was looking at prices of the ones i'm missing and eek, there's not even a tatty pb available of any of them. So i think it's probably better if i don't like them as finishing the sets will cost a small fortune alone!
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Post by Charlotte on May 7, 2014 0:08:16 GMT 1
All my hb's (largely my mother's ones, some buys by me or presents) are pretty tatty now due to poor storage in my bedroom. Many old books by other writers have torn dustjackets etc as well  . Got some Girls Gone By editions recently as christmas/birthday presents. I don't mind which one we do either . |
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Post by Darkhorse1 on May 7, 2014 20:36:20 GMT 1
I think I have all the 'horsey' ones but none of the others so I could join in with Cargo of Horses or Rennie Goes Riding.
I don't have a preferance over the 2 diferent series, but then again I haven't read many of either of them yet.
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Post by tintin on May 7, 2014 21:52:01 GMT 1
On the very narrow and unscientific sample of four ("Rennie Goes Riding", "Wish for a Pony", "Summer of the Great Secret" and "Midnight Horse) I liked Midnight Horse best, but I did find it very good generally - up with the best of pony books
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Post by Claire on May 8, 2014 0:05:45 GMT 1
Just picked up a CBC copy of The Wanderer and if this was not on the top 10 worst covers list it surely should have been!   Amazingly enough however this is NOT the worst Monica Edwards cover! There's another one even more hideous! I wonder if anyone knows which one I mean...? While on the subject of dustjackets, which are your fav Monica Edwards covers and which is your fav ME illustrator? |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2014 12:37:35 GMT 1
I like Wish for a Pony, No Mistaking Corker and the Summer of the Great Secret by Anne Bullen and Rennie Goes Riding which I'm not sure who did it. Was it Sheila Rose? I think we had a conversation about that one Claire and you were going to ask John I think but I can't remember what the outcome was! Not sure which other hideous cover you mean. I know there is a horrible Yellow Rennie goes Riding.  |
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Post by Claire on May 8, 2014 13:50:15 GMT 1
Its not the Rennie one thats the worst IMHO. I'll find a pic of the one I mean and post it.
Sorry Rosie can't recall that conversation lol. I think John is game to join in and answer some questions so if anyone has any queries about the books, author, etc, please post them or PM them to me.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2014 18:05:37 GMT 1
I'll ask that question about the Rennie Goes Riding for John then Claire. Who was the Illustrator on the First edition 1956, was it Sheila Rose? |
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Post by haffyfan on May 8, 2014 19:55:52 GMT 1
If it's worse than one i'm not sure i want to see it. Thats right up there with horses in the Glen!
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Post by Claire on May 8, 2014 23:05:43 GMT 1
If it's worse than one i'm not sure i want to see it. Thats right up there with horses in the Glen! Lol not going to let you off that easy. Here is the culprit. If anyone can find a more hideous cover than this you deserve a prize!  |
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2014 6:39:59 GMT 1
Not seen that before, it is truly hideous!
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Post by kunuma on May 9, 2014 13:42:21 GMT 1
If it's worse than one i'm not sure i want to see it. Thats right up there with horses in the Glen! Lol not going to let you off that easy. Here is the culprit. If anyone can find a more hideous cover than this you deserve a prize! View AttachmentYou have GOT to be kidding me - were I the author I would SUE the publishers for allowing such a monstrosity - what's more the book is not about a killer dog in that way at all and is a good book, perhaps it should have been retitled a long time ago? |
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Post by Claire on May 9, 2014 19:10:11 GMT 1
I agree about the pic and title kunuma! I'll have to ask John (Allsupp) if he knows what Monica thought of that particular edition. It is a good story, definitely worth reading (tho just very slight pony content) and the first edition has a lovely dustjacket.
I'm pretty much decided on doing Cargo of Horses for our reading circle selection. I'll set up a thread for it and I do have a spare copy I can pass around to people tho I will need it back.
Don't forget if anyone has any queries about the books or the author let me know and I will pass on to John.
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Post by Charlotte on May 10, 2014 4:25:24 GMT 1
That cover is horrible! I've got the same edition of the Wanderer as you Claire, think that one is just very badly drawn. I don't have a favourite ME cover. Think dustjackets in general
are just either good or bad.
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Post by Claire on Jul 4, 2014 20:47:08 GMT 1
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2014 7:11:23 GMT 1
Thanks John for answering the questions and Claire for organising it |
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It's got so called mains drainage too, and the drains obviously haven't worked for years - just runs down the garden path!
. Got some Girls Gone By editions recently as christmas/birthday presents. I 
